Mitigating no-service delays for LTE capable wireless devices without LTE access permission

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to reducing or mitigating no-service delays for LTE capable wireless devices which do not have permission to access one or more LTE networks. According to some embodiments, a MME of a first PLMN may receive an LTE NAS request corresponding to a tracking area from a wireless device. The MME may determine to reject the request, and may send a rejection response to the request indicating that access to the first PLMN in the tracking area according to LTE is not available to the wireless device. The rejection response may further include extended cause information relating to whether or not the wireless device is permitted to access the first PLMN in other tracking areas according to LTE.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 15/341,264 titled“Mitigating no-service delays for LTE capable wireless devices withoutLTE access permission” and filed Nov. 2, 2016, whose inventor isKrisztian Kiss, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 14/627,138 titled“Mitigating no-service delays for LTE capable wireless devices withoutLTE access permission” and filed Feb. 20, 2015, whose inventor isKrisztian Kiss, which claims benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/942,691 titled “Mitigating no-service delays for LTEcapable wireless devices without LTE access permission” and filed onFeb. 21, 2014, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety as if fully and completely set forth herein.

The claims in the instant application are different than those of theparent application or other related applications. The Applicanttherefore rescinds any disclaimer of claim scope made in the parentapplication or any predecessor application in relation to the instantapplication. The Examiner is therefore advised that any such previousdisclaimer and the cited references that it was made to avoid, may needto be revisited. Further, any disclaimer made in the instant applicationshould not be read into or against the parent application or otherrelated applications.

FIELD

The present application relates to wireless devices, and moreparticularly to an apparatus, system, and method for reducing thefrequency and/or severity of no-service delays for LTE capable wirelessdevices which do not have LTE access permission.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Wireless communication systems are rapidly growing in usage.Additionally, there exist numerous different wireless communicationtechnologies and standards. Some examples of wireless communicationstandards include GSM, UMTS (WCDMA), LTE, LTE Advanced (LTE-A), 3GPP2CDMA2000 (e.g., 1×RTT, 1×EV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), IEEE 802.11 (WLAN orWi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), Bluetooth, and others.

In order to provide a range of possible services or for any of variousother reasons, cellular service providers may provide subscriptionoptions and/or negotiate roaming agreements which limit or do notinclude permission to access all possible network elements with which awireless device is technically capable of accessing. In at least somescenarios, this may result in service delays, periods of no service, orother problems at times when such a device attempts to access, and isrejected by, a type of service which it is not permitted to access.

SUMMARY

Embodiments are presented herein of apparatuses, systems, and methodsfor reducing the frequency and/or severity of no-service delaysexperienced by LTE capable wireless devices which do not have LTE accesspermission, and of devices configured to implement the methods.

An LTE capable wireless device may attempt to obtain LTE (e.g., evolvedUMTS Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) access to a public land mobilenetwork (PLMN) by sending a non-access stratum (NAS) request, such as anattach request, a combined attach request, a tracking area update, or acombined tracking area update, to a mobility management entity (MME) ofthe PLMN.

Based on such a request, the MME may determine whether or not thewireless device is permitted LTE access to the PLMN in that particulararea. For example, the MME may attempt to authenticate the wirelessdevice to determine whether it has permission to use the LTE network ofthe PLMN. If the wireless device does not have permission, for examplebecause their subscriber agreement does not include LTE access to thatparticular PLMN, the MME may reject the NAS request.

In some instances, a wireless device may not have LTE access permissionto a PLMN in a particular tracking area, but not generally be forbiddenfrom LTE access to the PLMN. In other instances, a wireless device maynot have LTE access permission to a PLMN in multiple areas or possiblyat all (e.g., in any tracking area), for example such that LTE access tothe PLMN is generally forbidden to the wireless device.

In the latter instances, it may be helpful to provide an indicationrelating to the wireless device's LTE access permission to the PLMN inother areas than the current location (e.g., tracking area) whenrejecting the request, for example in order to prevent the wirelessdevice from attempting to obtain LTE access to the PLMN in other areas(e.g., in which such attempts may be bound to fail).

Thus in some embodiments, according to the techniques presented herein,when providing a rejection to a NAS request for LTE access to a PLMN ina particular area from a wireless device, a MME of the PLMN may provideadditional information relating to whether or not the wireless device ispermitted LTE access to the PLMN in areas other than the current area ofthe wireless device.

The additional information may include an indication that LTE access tothe PLMN is generally forbidden to the wireless device, or an indicationthat LTE access to the PLMN is forbidden to the wireless device incertain areas (e.g., tracking areas) without explicitly forbidding thewireless device from LTE access to the PLMN altogether, among variouspossibilities.

The techniques described herein may be implemented in and/or used with anumber of different types of devices, including but not limited to MMESand other cellular core network entities, cellular phones, tabletcomputers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and anyof various other computing devices.

This Summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of thesubject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will beappreciated that the above-described features are merely examples andshould not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subjectmatter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, andadvantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparentfrom the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present subject matter can be obtainedwhen the following detailed description of the embodiments is consideredin conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary (and simplified) wireless communicationsystem, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a base station (BS) in communication with a userequipment (UE) device, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary (and simplified) cellular networkarchitecture, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a UE, according to someembodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a BS, according to someembodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an MME, according tosome embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a communication flow diagram illustrating an exemplary methodfor reducing the frequency and/or severity of no-service delaysexperienced by LTE capable wireless devices which do not have LTE accesspermission, according to some embodiments;

FIGS. 8-9 illustrate further exemplary cellular network architectures,according to some embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an exemplary Attachprocedure, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an exemplary TAUprocedure, according to some embodiments; and

FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary additional EMM cause informationelement, according to some embodiments.

While the features described herein may be susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof areshown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described indetail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detaileddescription thereto are not intended to be limiting to the particularform disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

3GPP TS 23.401 version 12.7.0 Release 12, titled “General Packet RadioService (GPRS) enhancements for Evolved Universal Terrestrial RadioAccess Network (E-UTRAN) access”, dated December 2014, is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety as though fully and completelyset forth herein.

3GPP TS 24.301 version 12.7.0 Release 12, titled “Non-Access-Stratum(NAS) protocol for Evolved Packet System (EPS); Stage 3”, dated December2014, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as thoughfully and completely set forth herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Acronyms

The following acronyms are used in the present disclosure.

3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project

3GPP2: Third Generation Partnership Project 2

GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

GERAN: GSM EDGE Radio Access Network

UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

UTRAN: UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network or Universal TerrestrialRadio Access Network

LTE: Long Term Evolution

E-UTRAN: Evolved UMTS Radio Access Network or Evolved Universal RadioAccess Network

EPC: Evolved Packet Core

EPS: Evolved Packet Service

MME: Mobility Management Entity

EMM: EPS Mobility Management

HSS: Home Subscriber Server

TA: Tracking Area

TAU: TA Update

TAI: TA Identifier

IE: Information Element

AS: Access Stratum

NAS: Non-Access Stratum

PLMN: Public Land Mobile Network

EPLMN: Equivalent PLMN

HPLMN: Home PLMN

VPLMN: Visited PLMN

Terms

The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

Memory Medium—Any of various types of non-transitory memory devices orstorage devices. The term “memory medium” is intended to include aninstallation medium, e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disks, or tape device; acomputer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM,SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; a non-volatile memory such as a Flash,magnetic media, e.g., a hard drive, or optical storage; registers, orother similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium mayinclude other types of non-transitory memory as well or combinationsthereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a firstcomputer system in which the programs are executed, or may be located ina second different computer system which connects to the first computersystem over a network, such as the Internet. In the latter instance, thesecond computer system may provide program instructions to the firstcomputer for execution. The term “memory medium” may include two or morememory mediums which may reside in different locations, e.g., indifferent computer systems that are connected over a network. The memorymedium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as computerprograms) that may be executed by one or more processors.

Carrier Medium—a memory medium as described above, as well as a physicaltransmission medium, such as a bus, network, and/or other physicaltransmission medium that conveys signals such as electrical,electromagnetic, or digital signals.

Programmable Hardware Element—includes various hardware devicescomprising multiple programmable function blocks connected via aprogrammable interconnect. Examples include FPGAs (Field ProgrammableGate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (FieldProgrammable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). The programmablefunction blocks may range from fine grained (combinatorial logic or lookup tables) to coarse grained (arithmetic logic units or processorcores). A programmable hardware element may also be referred to as“reconfigurable logic”.

Computer System—any of various types of computing or processing systems,including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system,workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance, personal digitalassistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or otherdevice or combinations of devices. In general, the term “computersystem” can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combinationof devices) having at least one processor that executes instructionsfrom a memory medium.

User Equipment (UE) (or “UE Device”)—any of various types of computersystems devices which are mobile or portable and which performs wirelesscommunications. Examples of UE devices include mobile telephones orsmart phones (e.g., iPhone™, Android™-based phones), portable gamingdevices (e.g., Nintendo DS™, PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™,iPhone™), wearable devices, laptops, PDAs, portable Internet devices,music players, data storage devices, or other handheld devices, etc. Ingeneral, the term “UE” or “UE device” can be broadly defined toencompass any electronic, computing, and/or telecommunications device(or combination of devices) which is easily transported by a user andcapable of wireless communication.

Base Station—The term “Base Station” has the full breadth of itsordinary meaning, and at least includes a wireless communication stationinstalled at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of awireless telephone system or radio system.

Processing Element—refers to various elements or combinations ofelements. Processing elements include, for example, circuits such as anASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), portions or circuits ofindividual processor cores, entire processor cores, individualprocessors, programmable hardware devices such as a field programmablegate array (FPGA), and/or larger portions of systems that includemultiple processors.

Channel—a medium used to convey information from a sender (transmitter)to a receiver. It should be noted that since characteristics of the term“channel” may differ according to different wireless protocols, the term“channel” as used herein may be considered as being used in a mannerthat is consistent with the standard of the type of device withreference to which the term is used. In some standards, channel widthsmay be variable (e.g., depending on device capability, band conditions,etc.). For example, LTE may support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, WLAN channels may be 22 MHz wide whileBluetooth channels may be 1 Mhz wide. Other protocols and standards mayinclude different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standardsmay define and use multiple types of channels, e.g., different channelsfor uplink or downlink and/or different channels for different uses suchas data, control information, etc.

Band—The term “band” has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning, andat least includes a section of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum)in which channels are used or set aside for the same purpose.

Automatically—refers to an action or operation performed by a computersystem (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g.,circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.), without userinput directly specifying or performing the action or operation. Thusthe term “automatically” is in contrast to an operation being manuallyperformed or specified by the user, where the user provides input todirectly perform the operation. An automatic procedure may be initiatedby input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that areperformed “automatically” are not specified by the user, i.e., are notperformed “manually”, where the user specifies each action to perform.For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting eachfield and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typinginformation, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) is fillingout the form manually, even though the computer system must update theform in response to the user actions. The form may be automaticallyfilled out by the computer system where the computer system (e.g.,software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of theform and fills in the form without any user input specifying the answersto the fields. As indicated above, the user may invoke the automaticfilling of the form, but is not involved in the actual filling of theform (e.g., the user is not manually specifying answers to fields butrather they are being automatically completed). The presentspecification provides various examples of operations beingautomatically performed in response to actions the user has taken.

FIGS. 1-3—Communication System

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary (and simplified) wireless communicationsystem, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the system ofFIG. 1 is merely one example of a possible system, and embodiments maybe implemented in any of various systems, as desired.

As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a basestation 102A which communicates over a transmission medium with one ormore user devices 106A, 106B, etc., through 106N. Each of the userdevices may be referred to herein as a “user equipment” (UE). Thus, theuser devices 106 are referred to as UEs or UE devices.

The base station 102A may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or cellsite, and may include hardware that enables wireless communication withthe UEs 106A through 106N. The base station 102A may also be equipped tocommunicate with a network 100 (e.g., a core network of a cellularservice provider, a telecommunication network such as a public switchedtelephone network (PSTN), and/or the Internet, among variouspossibilities). Thus, the base station 102A may facilitate communicationbetween the user devices and/or between the user devices and the network100.

The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station may bereferred to as a “cell.” The base station 102A and the UEs 106 may beconfigured to communicate over the transmission medium using any ofvarious radio access technologies (RATs), also referred to as wirelesscommunication technologies, or telecommunication standards, such as GSM,UMTS (WCDMA, TD-SCDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g.,1×RTT, 1×EV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), Wi-Fi, WiMAX etc.

Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations102B . . . 102N) operating according to the same or a different cellularcommunication standard may thus be provided as a network of cells, whichmay provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UEs106A-N and similar devices over a wide geographic area via one or morecellular communication standards.

Thus, while base station 102A may act as a “serving cell” for UEs 106A-Nas illustrated in FIG. 1, each UE 106 may also be capable of receivingsignals from (and possibly within communication range of) one or moreother cells (which might be provided by base stations 102B-N and/or anyother base stations), which may be referred to as “neighboring cells”.Such cells may also be capable of facilitating communication betweenuser devices and/or between user devices and the network 100. Such cellsmay include “macro” cells, “micro” cells, “pico” cells, and/or cellswhich provide any of various other granularities of service area size.For example, base stations 102A-B illustrated in FIG. 1 might be macrocells, while base station 102N might be a micro cell. Otherconfigurations are also possible.

Note that a UE 106 may be capable of communicating using multiplewireless communication standards. For example, a UE 106 might beconfigured to communicate using two or more of GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000,WiMAX, LTE, LTE-A, WLAN, Bluetooth, one or more global navigationalsatellite systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one and/or more mobiletelevision broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M/H or DVB-H), etc. Othercombinations of wireless communication standards (including more thantwo wireless communication standards) are also possible.

FIG. 2 illustrates user equipment 106 (e.g., one of the devices 106Athrough 106N) in communication with a base station 102 (e.g., one of thebase stations 102A through 102N), according to some embodiments. The UE106 may be a device with cellular communication capability such as amobile phone, a hand-held device, a computer or a tablet, or virtuallyany type of wireless device.

The UE 106 may include a processor that is configured to execute programinstructions stored in memory. The UE 106 may perform any of the methodembodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions.Alternatively, or in addition, the UE 106 may include a programmablehardware element such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) that isconfigured to perform any of the method embodiments described herein, orany portion of any of the method embodiments described herein.

As noted above, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate using any ofmultiple RATs. For example, the UE 106 may be configured to communicateusing two or more of GSM, CDMA2000, LTE, LTE-A, WLAN, or GNSS. Othercombinations of wireless communication technologies are also possible.

The UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using oneor more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In oneembodiment, the UE 106 might be configured to communicate using eitherof CDMA2000 (1×RTT/1×EV-DO/HRPD/eHRPD) or LTE using a single sharedradio and/or GSM or LTE using the single shared radio. The shared radiomay couple to a single antenna, or may couple to multiple antennas(e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communications. In general, aradio may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog RFsignal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers,oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g.,for digital modulation as well as other digital processing). Similarly,the radio may implement one or more receive and transmit chains usingthe aforementioned hardware. For example, the UE 106 may share one ormore parts of a receive and/or transmit chain between multiple wirelesscommunication technologies, such as those discussed above.

In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include separate transmit and/orreceive chains (e.g., including separate RF and/or digital radiocomponents) for each wireless communication protocol with which it isconfigured to communicate. As a further possibility, the UE 106 mayinclude one or more radios which are shared between multiple wirelesscommunication protocols, and one or more radios which are usedexclusively by a single wireless communication protocol. For example,the UE 106 might include a shared radio for communicating using eitherof LTE or 1×RTT (or LTE or GSM), and separate radios for communicatingusing each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are alsopossible.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary, simplified portion of a wirelesscommunication system, such as a 3GPP compliant cellular network.

As shown, a UE 106 may be in communication with a base station, shown inthis exemplary embodiment as an eNodeB 102. In turn, the eNodeB may becoupled to a core network, shown in this exemplary embodiment as anevolved packet core (EPC) 100. As shown, the EPC 100 may includemobility management entity (MME) 322, home subscriber server (HSS) 324,and serving gateway (SGW) 326. The EPC 100 may include various otherdevices and/or entities known to those skilled in the art as well.

FIG. 4—Exemplary Block Diagram of a UE

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a UE 106. As shown, theUE 106 may include a system on chip (SOC) 400, which may includeportions for various purposes. For example, as shown, the SOC 400 mayinclude processor(s) 402 which may execute program instructions for theUE 106 and display circuitry 404 which may perform graphics processingand provide display signals to the display 460. The processor(s) 402 mayalso be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 440, which may beconfigured to receive addresses from the processor(s) 402 and translatethose addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 406, read onlymemory (ROM) 450, NAND flash memory 410) and/or to other circuits ordevices, such as the display circuitry 404, wireless communicationcircuitry 430 (also referred to as a “radio”), connector I/F 420, and/ordisplay 460. The MMU 440 may be configured to perform memory protectionand page table translation or set up. In some embodiments, the MMU 440may be included as a portion of the processor(s) 402.

As also shown, the SOC 400 may be coupled to various other circuits ofthe UE 106. For example, the UE 106 may include various types of memory(e.g., including NAND flash 410), a connector interface 420 (e.g., forcoupling to a computer system, dock, charging station, etc.), thedisplay 460, and wireless communication circuitry 430 (e.g., for LTE,CDMA2000, Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.).

As noted above, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate wirelesslyusing multiple wireless communication technologies. As further notedabove, in such instances, the wireless communication circuitry(radio(s)) 430 may include radio components which are shared betweenmultiple wireless communication technologies and/or radio componentswhich are configured exclusively for use according to a single wirelesscommunication technology. As shown, the UE device 106 may include atleast one antenna (and possibly multiple antennas, e.g., for MIMO and/orfor implementing different wireless communication technologies, amongvarious possibilities), for performing wireless communication withcellular base stations and/or other devices. For example, the UE device106 may use antenna(s) 435 to perform the wireless communication.

As described further subsequently herein, the UE 106 may includehardware and software components for implementing part or all of themethods described herein. The processor 402 of the UE device 106 may beconfigured to implement part or all of the features described herein,e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g.,a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or inaddition), processor 402 may be configured as a programmable hardwareelement, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC(Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or inaddition) the processor 402 of the UE device 106, in conjunction withone or more of the other components 400, 404, 406, 410, 420, 430, 435,440, 450, 460 may be configured to implement part or all of the featuresdescribed herein.

FIG. 5—Base Station

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a base station 102. Itis noted that the base station of FIG. 5 is merely one example of apossible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may includeprocessor(s) 504 which may execute program instructions for the basestation 102. The processor(s) 504 may also be coupled to memorymanagement unit (MMU) 540, which may be configured to receive addressesfrom the processor(s) 504 and translate those addresses to locations inmemory (e.g., memory 560 and read only memory (ROM) 550) or to othercircuits or devices.

The base station 102 may include at least one network port 570. Thenetwork port 570 may be configured to couple to a telephone network andprovide a plurality of devices, such as UE devices 106, access to thetelephone network as described above.

The network port 570 (or an additional network port) may also oralternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, e.g., acore network of a cellular service provider. The core network mayprovide mobility related services and/or other services to a pluralityof devices, such as UE devices 106. In some cases, the network port 570may couple to a telephone network via the core network, and/or the corenetwork may provide a telephone network (e.g., among other UE devicesserviced by the cellular service provider).

The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 534. Theantenna(s) 534 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiverand may be further configured to communicate with UE devices 106 viaradio 530. The antenna(s) 534 communicates with the radio 530 viacommunication chain 532. Communication chain 532 may be a receive chain,a transmit chain or both. The radio 530 may be configured to communicatevia various wireless communication technologies, including, but notlimited to, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, WCDMA, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

The processor(s) 504 of the base station 102 may be configured toimplement part or all of the methods described herein, e.g., byexecuting program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., anon-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, theprocessor 504 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, suchas an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof.

FIG. 6—Mobility Management Entity

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a mobility managemententity (MME) 322. It is noted that the MME 322 of FIG. 6 is merely oneexample of a possible MME 322. As shown, the MME 322 may includeprocessor(s) 604 which may execute program instructions for the MME 322.The processor(s) 604 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU)640, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s)604 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory660 and read only memory (ROM) 650) or to other circuits or devices.

The MME 322 may include at least one network port 670. The network port670 may be configured to couple to one or more base stations and/orother cellular core network entities and/or devices.

The MME 322 may provide mobility related services to a plurality ofdevices, such as UE devices 106. For example, the MME 322 may beresponsible for registering UE devices which attempt to perform anattach procedure, a tracking area update procedure, and/or any ofvarious other procedures.

The MME 322 may communicate with base stations (e.g., eNBs) and/or othercore network entities/devices by means of any of various communicationprotocols and/or interfaces. As one example, in a 3GPP context, the MME322 may use any of an S1-MME, S3, S10, S11, S6a, and/or any of variousother communication protocols or interfaces to communicate with othercellular network components.

The processor(s) 604 of the MME 322 may be configured to implement partor all of the methods described herein, e.g., by executing programinstructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitorycomputer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 604 maybe configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (FieldProgrammable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific IntegratedCircuit), or a combination thereof.

FIG. 7—Communication Flow Diagram

FIG. 7 is a communication/signal flow diagram illustrating a scheme forresponding to NAS requests in a manner that reduces no-service delaysfor LTE-capable UEs which do not have permission to access LTE networksto which they are attempting to attach. The scheme shown in FIG. 7 maybe used in conjunction with any of the computer systems or devices shownin the above Figures, among other devices. In various embodiments, someof the elements of the scheme shown may be performed concurrently, in adifferent order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional elements mayalso be performed as desired. As shown, the scheme may operate asfollows.

In 702, a UE 106 may provide a NAS request to a MME 322. The NAS requestmay be any of a variety of types of NAS request, such as an attachrequest, a combined attach request, a tracking area update (TAU)request, or a combined TAU request. The NAS request may generally be arequest to obtain evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA))to a public land mobile network (PLMN) with which the MME 322 isassociated (e.g., by way of an LTE base station/eNode B/eNB).

In 704, the MME 322 may determine to reject the request. Thedetermination may be based identification and/or authenticationinformation for the UE 106, which the MME 322 may obtain from a homesubscriber server (HSS) of the UE 106 and/or one or more other cellularcore network entities. For example, the identification and/orauthentication information may indicate that the UE does not havepermission for E-UTRA/LTE access to the PLMN of the MME 322, at least inthe current tracking area of the UE. Such a scenario might occur if theUE 106 is roaming on a PLMN with which its service provider has notnegotiated for LTE roaming. As another possibility, such a scenariomight occur if the service provider of the UE 106 offers LTE service asa premium service, and the subscription of the LTE-capable UE 106 doesnot include that premium service. In contrast, if the UE 106 did havepermission (e.g., by subscription or roaming agreement between serviceproviders/network operators) to access the E-UTRA/LTE services of thePLMN of the MME 322, the MME 322 might accept the request.

Note that the MME and the HSS may belong to different core networks(e.g., in a roaming scenario in which the UE 106 is attempting to accessa PLMN with which its home PLMN has a roaming agreement) or the samecore network (e.g., in a non-roaming scenario).

In some instances, the MME 322 may more specifically determine a causecode to provide in conjunction with rejecting the request. For example,if the UE does not have permission for E-UTRA/LTE access to the PLMN ofthe MME 322, at least in the current tracking area of the UE, the MME322 may determine to provide Evolved Packet Service (EPS) mobilitymanagement (EMM) cause #15 “no suitable cells in tracking area”.

In 706, the MME 322 may determine additional EMM cause information toprovide with a rejection response. The additional EMM cause informationmay include an extended EMM cause information element which may relateto whether or not the UE is permitted LTE access to the PLMN in areasother than the current tracking area. For example, the additional EMMcause information may include an indication to the UE 106 thatE-UTRA/LTE access to the current TA of the PLMN of the MME 322 isforbidden to the UE, or that E-UTRA/LTE access to the multiple TAs ofthe PLMN of the MME 322 (e.g., including the current TA) is forbidden tothe UE, or that E-UTRA/LTE access to the PLMN of the MME 322 isgenerally forbidden and UE shall disable LTE capabilities and ignore LTEcells of the PLMN of the MME 322.

In some instances, if the additional EMM cause information includes anindication that E-UTRA/LTE access to multiple TAs of the PLMN of the MME322 is forbidden to the UE, further information may be providedspecifying which TAs are forbidden to the UE 106. For example, a list offorbidden TA identifiers (TAIs) corresponding to the forbidden TAs maybe provided in such a case.

The MME 322 may determine to provide different additional EMM causeinformation in different scenarios. For example, as one possiblescenario, LTE access to the home PLMN of the UE 106 might be allowed,and GSM/UMTS roaming access to another (“roaming”) PLMN (which mayoverlap with the home PLMN of the UE 106) may be allowed to the UE 106,but LTE roaming access to the roaming PLMN may not be allowed to the UE106, for example as a result of specific roaming agreements betweennetwork operators of the respective PLMNs. In such a case, the home PLMNand roaming PLMN may be treated as equivalent PLMNs (EPLMNs) by the UE106. In such a case, if the UE 106 attempts E-UTRA attachment to theroaming PLMN, the MME 322 (i.e., in this case the MME of the roamingPLMN) may reject the attempt. If the MME 322 were to indicate to disableLTE in the rejection, even though LTE access to the roaming PLMN isindeed not allowed to the UE 106, this would also prevent the UE 106from moving to an LTE cell of its home PLMN (i.e., as an EPLMN of theroaming PLMN). Accordingly, in such a scenario, the MME 322 maydetermine to provide a list of TAs of the PLMN of the MME 322 which areforbidden to the UE 106. This may at least prevent the UE 106 fromattempting to E-UTRA/LTE access to the roaming PLMN upon entering a newTA which is on the list of forbidden TAs, without preventing the UE 106from accessing LTE cells of its home PLMN to which it is permittedaccess.

As another possible scenario, although the UE 106 may be capable of LTEcommunication, its subscription may not include LTE access. In such acase, providing an indication to the UE 106 that E-UTRA/LTE access tothe PLMN of the MME 322 is generally forbidden or to disable LTE andignore LTE cells of the PLMN of the MME 322 may prevent the UE 106 fromattempting to move back to LTE. Furthermore, disabling LTE may result inthe UE 106 not unnecessarily performing cell re-selection measurementson LTE cells to which it does not have permission to access, which mayimprove battery life.

In 708, the MME 322 may send to the UE 106 a rejection response to theNAS response, which may include the determined additional EMM causeinformation.

The rejection response may have any of a variety of formats, and mayinclude any of a variety of information in addition to the determinedadditional EMM cause information. As one possibility, the additional EMMcause information may be included in an additional EMM cause informationelement (IE), which may include an additional EMM cause field. Variousvalues may be specified as having specific meanings when included in thean additional EMM cause field of the additional EMM cause IE. Forexample, a first value might be defined as specifying that E-UTRA/LTEaccess to the current TA of the PLMN of the MME 322 is forbidden to theUE, while a second value might be defined as specifying that E-UTRA/LTEaccess to multiple TAs of the PLMN of the MME 322 is forbidden to theUE, and a third value might be defined as specifying that E-UTRA/LTEaccess to the PLMN of the MME 322 is generally forbidden and UE shalldisable LTE capabilities and ignore LTE cells of the PLMN of the MME322.

The rejection response may include a further information element, suchas a forbidden TAI list IE, if desired, which may include a list of TAIsof those TAs to which E-UTRA/LTE access is forbidden to the UE 106,e.g., if the additional EMM cause field is set to the second value.

At least in some instances, the UE 106 may modify its operation based onthe NAS request rejection and the associated cause information. Forexample, if extended cause information indicates that LTE access to thePLMN of the MME 322 is generally forbidden, the UE 106 may disable itsLTE capabilities and ignore LTE cells of the PLMN 322. The UE 106 may inthis case search for a suitable cell in another location area inresponse to the indication.

As another example, the UE 106 might store TAIs for those TAs to whichE-UTRA/LTE access is forbidden to the UE 106. This may enable the UE 106to determine if it has moved to such a TA, and potentially to refrainfrom sending a NAS request and attempting to attach to the PLMN's LTEnetwork in that tracking area on that basis.

Note additionally that, at least in some instances, a home networkoperator may be able to configure how the UE 106 responds to certaintypes of extended cause information for NAS request rejections. Forexample, the UE 106 might be configured by the home network operatorsuch that a “E-UTRA Disabling Allowed for EMM cause #15” parameter iseither enabled or disabled; in such a case, if such a parameter isenabled, the UE 106 may act on the extended cause IE “E-UTRAN notallowed” for EMM cause #15 and disable LTE capability of the UE 106,while if such a parameter is disabled, the UE 106 may disregard theextended cause IE “E-UTRAN not allowed” for EMM cause #15 and leave itsLTE capability enabled.

Thus, according to the scheme of FIG. 7, a MME 322 may provideadditional cause information when rejecting a NAS LTE attach or TAUrequest, which may reduce the frequency at which no-service delays occurat a UE 106 as a result of such an attempt to obtain LTE access to anLTE network (or a TA of an LTE network) which the UE 106 does not havepermission to access.

FIGS. 8-11—Exemplary Cellular Network Architecture Diagrams, AttachProcedure and Tracking Area Update Procedure Signal Flow Diagrams

FIGS. 8-11 and the following supplementary description are provided asbeing illustrative of further considerations and possible implementationdetails, and are not intended to be limiting to the disclosure as awhole. Numerous variations and alternatives to the details providedherein below are possible and should be considered within the scope ofthe disclosure.

FIGS. 8-9 illustrate exemplary LTE cellular network architecturediagrams, representing non-roaming and roaming scenarios respectively.As shown, a UE may communicate with the LTE cellular network by way ofthe evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN). Thecellular network may include mobility management entity(s) (MME(s)),serving GPRS support node(s), home subscriber server(s) (HSS(s)),serving gateway(s), packet data network (PDN) gateway(s), policy andcharging rules function(s) (PCRF(s)), and/or IP services (e.g., IPmultimedia subsystem (IMS), packet switch streaming (PSS), etc.). Thecellular network may also provide access to one or more legacy 3GPPcellular networks (e.g., UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN)and/or GSM EDGE radio access network (GERAN)).

FIGS. 10-11 illustrate exemplary signal flows which may be used inconjunction with E-UTRA attach procedures and tracking area update (TAU)procedures respectively. As shown, such procedures may initiate with aUE submitting an attach or TAU request to an MME by way of an eNodeB.The MME may determine whether or not to accept the request, includingobtaining various identification and authentication information from oneor more other network elements (such as the HSS) and/or the UE itself.If the request is to be accepted, the MME may perform variousregistration functions (again possibly in conjunction with other networkentities) and indicate (again by way of an eNodeB) to the UE that therequest is accepted. Otherwise, a rejection message, possibly indicatingcause information (such as according to the method of FIG. 7), may beprovided to the UE.

Additional Description

The following additional information is provided as being illustrativeof further considerations and possible implementation details, and arenot intended to be limiting to the disclosure as a whole. Numerousvariations and alternatives to the details provided herein below arepossible and should be considered within the scope of the disclosure.

In order to provide a range of possible services or for any of variousother reasons, cellular service providers may provide subscriptionoptions and/or negotiate roaming agreements which limit or do notinclude permission to access all possible network elements with which awireless device is technically capable of accessing. In at least somescenarios, this may result in service delays, periods of no service, orother problems at times when such a device attempts to access, and isrejected by, a type of service which it is not permitted to access.

For example, in one possible scenario, a roaming user might have aGSM/UMTS roaming agreement with a roaming operator but no LTE roamingagreement. The UE in such a case might try to register in the roamingoperator's LTE network, and be rejected. As another exemplary scenario,an operator may treat LTE as a preferential service only available forcustomers on a premium subscription basis. The user may utilize anLTE-capable UE, but not obtain the premium (LTE) subscription. The UEmay try to register in the home operator's LTE network and be rejectedin such a scenario.

In both exemplary scenarios, the users may experience excessive periodicno-service delays in registration (e.g., 15-20 seconds, or other delaylengths) until the UE registers on the GSM or UMTS network of the samePLMN. Such a no-service delay may happen periodically (e.g., every 12 to24 hours) even when stationary, and possibly also when the user movesand enters a new TA.

Network operators may use a NAS reject message with EMM cause #15 tohandle both exemplary scenarios. In particular, according to TS 24.301,if the attach request or the tracking area updating request cannot beaccepted by the network, the MME shall send an ATTACH REJECT or TRACKINGAREA UPDATE REJECT message to the UE including an appropriate EMM causevalue. EMM cause value #15 means “No suitable cells in tracking area”.In case of such a response, a UE may set the EPS update status to EU3ROAMING NOT ALLOWED and enter the state EMM-REGISTERED. LIMITED-SERVICE.Additionally, the UE shall store the current Tracking Area Identity(TAI) in the list of “forbidden tracking areas for roaming” and removethe current TAI from the stored TAI list if present.

Thus, the EMM cause value #15 as currently specified causes only the TAon which the cause value was received to be added to the list of“forbidden tracking areas for roaming”. Accordingly, when the UE movesand enters a new TA, the UE may attempt a new registration to the new TAin the same PLMN and the UE may again be rejected. This problem may berepeated every time the UE enters a new TA. Hence, the user experiencesno service for a period of time while the UE attempts an unsuccessfulregistration and performs cell selection that returns the UE to the GSMor UMTS network of the same PLMN. This may result in a poor userexperience and unnecessary battery drain. As a further undesirableresult, the network may process unnecessary signaling messages.

Furthermore, the UE is required to delete the list of forbidden TAIs forroaming every 12 to 24 hours. Hence, the unnecessary registration/updateattempts may be repeated periodically even if the UE is stationary.

As a possible solution, EMM cause code #15 may be extended with a newinformation element that can include additional TAIs that are consideredas forbidden for roaming. As one possibility, the tracking area identitylist as specified in TS 24.301 clause 9.9.3.33 (which may supportinclusion of 16 different TAIs) may be used to convey the additionalforbidden tracking areas for roaming. It may be left to each networkoperator to decide how many additional TAIs to include in the rejectmessage, e.g., in order to provides satisfactory geographical coveragefor a typical roaming user. As one possibility, the UE may be able tomaintain a list of up to 40 forbidden TAIs at one time.

Alternatively, or in addition, the reject message could optionallyinclude an indicator together with EMM cause code #15 that instructs theUE to disable LTE capabilities upon receiving the additional EMM causecode #15. In some instances, this indicator may only be distributed tointernational roaming users and users accessing their home network withan LTE-capable UE but without LTE subscription, for example since it maybe assumed to be acceptable to disable LTE capabilities for these usecases at least in some instances. The UE may be required to re-enableLTE capabilities for its next PLMN selection (e.g., as specified in TS23.122), at least in some instances.

Note that for ‘national roaming’ users making use of the cellre-selection capability from an EPLMN, it may in some instances bepreferable for the reject message to not include the indicator todisable LTE capabilities, though it may still be possible to do so insuch instances. For example, disabling LTE capabilities may prevent theUE from moving to an LTE cell of an EPLMN via cell re-selection in sucha scenario.

For example, consider the following scenario. Operator A operates a GSM,a UMTS and an LTE network. Operator B is a new entrant operator with anLTE network only, and has a national roaming agreement with Operator Ain order provide GSM and UMTS coverage. When a subscriber of Operator Bis registered in Operator A's network, the UE may treat Operator B as anEPLMN so that the UE is able to perform cell re-selection to cells ofeither Operator A or Operator B. Operator A does not want to allowroaming users from Operator B to access its LTE cells. If the UE selectsto an LTE cell of Operator A then it will be rejected including EMMcause code #15. If the rejection includes an indication to disable LTEcapabilities, and LTE is disabled, the UE will select to a GSM or UMTScell of Operator A, however it will not be able to access LTE cells ofOperator B until LTE capabilities are re-enabled. Hence, the UE couldend up stuck on Operator A's GSM or UMTS network and unable to return toOperator B's network.

For reference, contrast the above-described solution of providing an EMMcause code #15 with a new information element that can includeadditional TAIs that are considered as forbidden for roaming with analternate solution in which a new indicator is included in an attachreject or TAU reject message which simply indicates that all TAIs of aPLMN belong to forbidden tracking areas. Such an alternate solution mayhave an impact on access stratum (AS) implementation in a UE.

In particular, the UE's AS layer may currently expect an actual list of“forbidden tracking areas for roaming” from the NAS layer. It may not bepossible for the AS layer to translate a simple indication from the NASlayer that all TAs of the PLMN are forbidden to an actual forbidden TAIlist, since the AS layer at the UE may be unaware of all the TAIs of thePLMN; furthermore, at least in some implementations, the UE may only beable to maintain a list of up to 40 forbidden TAIs at one time, so evenif such translation were implemented, it might not be feasible due torestrictions on the number of forbidden TAIs which can be maintained bythe UE.

Thus, the above-described solution of providing an EMM cause code #15with a new information element that can include additional TAIs that areconsidered as forbidden for roaming and/or an indication to disable LTEmay provide a solution to reduce no-service delays experienced by LTEcapable UEs attempting to access forbidden LTE networks. This may beachieved at least in part by providing networks with multiple optionsfor providing additional information to/configuring a UE in conjunctionwith a rejection response, from which a most appropriate option may beselected based on the specific circumstances experienced by the UE inquestion. Some of the possible benefits of such a solution aresummarized/re-stated below:

If LTE is disabled after receiving the additional EMM cause value #15 inthe reject message, disabling LTE may guarantee that the UE is not movedback to LTE in a PLMN in which it has no LTE roaming agreement. This maysolve the periodic no-service delay.

Furthermore, disabling LTE may ensure the UE does not unnecessarilyperform cell re-selection measurements on LTE cells in the PLMN in whichit has no LTE roaming agreement. This may result in better battery life.

The optionality to disable LTE may allow for the operator to handlenational roaming users appropriately, e.g., such that a UE can obtainLTE service from an EPLMN. The optional nature of the LTE disablingfunctionality can be ensured, at least in some implementations, byproviding the home network operator with the ability to configure theUE's response to receiving an EMM cause code #15 together with anindicator that instructs the UE to disable LTE capabilities. Forexample, if the UE is configured by the home network operator not totake into account the indicator to disable LTE capabilities, then the UEmay still be able to obtain LTE service from an EPLMN, even if the EPLMNrejects the UE's attachment request and includes an indicator thatinstructs the UE to disable LTE capabilities with the rejection.

If LTE is not disabled after receiving the additional EMM cause value#15 in the reject message, the NAS layer in the UE can translate thereceived forbidden TAI list to the AS layer, and the number of serviceinterruptions for the scenarios when the UE moves between Tracking Areasmay be reduced.

It should be noted that if LTE is not disabled after receiving theadditional EMM cause value #15 in the reject message (e.g., in order tomaintain the UE's capability to obtain LTE access to an EPLMN in cellre-selection), periodic no-service delays may still occur periodically(e.g., every 12 to 24 hours), when the UE deletes the list of forbiddenTAIs, or when the UE enters into a Tracking Area that has not beenlisted as part of the forbidden tracking areas for roaming included inthe reject message. Additionally, the UE may still perform cellre-selection measurements on LTE cells in a PLMN in which it has no LTEroaming agreement.

Exemplary 3GPP Specification Modifications

In order to provide MMEs with the capability to include an EMM causecode #15 with a new information element that can include additional TAIsthat are considered as forbidden for roaming and/or an indication todisable LTE capabilities, changes to certain portions of the LTE NASspecification documents may be made. Such changes may take any of avariety of forms, and may be made in any of a variety of portions of thespecification documents. The following proposed changes to 3GPP TS24.301 are provided as being illustrative of one set of exemplarypossible specification changes, and are not intended to be limiting tothe disclosure as a whole. Numerous variations and alternatives to thedetails provided herein below are possible and should be consideredwithin the scope of the disclosure.

As a first possible change, 24.301 §4.5 may be updated to include thefollowing information:

If UE that has disabled its E-UTRA capability due to receiving EMM causevalue #15 “no suitable cells in tracking area” and the Additional EMMcause IE with value “E-UTRA not allowed” as specified in subclause5.3.2, re-enables its E-UTRA capability when PLMN selection isperformed, then it should memorize the identity of the PLMN(s) whereE-UTRA capability was disabled and use that information in subsequentPLMN selections as specified in 3GPP TS 23.122 [6].

As an additional possible change, 24.301 §5.3.2 may be updated toinclude the following information:

The MME may provide the Additional EMM cause IE in the ATTACH REJECT orthe TRACKING AREA UPDATE REJECT messages if the EMM cause value is setto #15 “no suitable cells in tracking area”. If the Additional EMM causeIE is included, the UE that supports the Additional EMM cause IE shallfollow one of these procedures:

if the Additional EMM cause IE indicates “Current TA forbidden in theselected PLMN, E-UTRA allowed” or “E-UTRA not allowed”, the UE shallconsider the current tracking area forbidden for roaming. The UE shallupdate the list of “forbidden tracking areas for roaming” with thecurrent TAI; or

if the Additional EMM cause IE indicates “List of TAs forbidden in theselected PLMN, E-UTRA allowed”, the UE shall consider the list oftracking areas as provided in the Forbidden TAI list IE forbidden. TheUE shall update the list of “forbidden tracking areas for roaming” withthe list of TAIs present in the Forbidden TAI list IE;

As an additional possible change, 24.301 §5.5.1.2.5 may be updated toinclude the following information:

#15 (No Suitable Cells in Tracking Area);

The UE shall set the EPS update status to EU3 ROAMING NOT ALLOWED (andshall store it according to subclause 5.1.3.3) and shall delete anyGUTI, last visited registered TAI and eKSI. Additionally, the UE shallreset the attach attempt counter.

In S1 mode:

the UE shall update the list of “forbidden tracking areas for roaming”as specified in subclause 5.3.2 and enter the stateEMM-DEREGISTERED.LIMITED-SERVICE;

if the Additional EMM cause IE is not included in the ATTACH REJECTmessage or if this IE is included with any other value than “E-UTRA notallowed”, then the UE shall search for a suitable cell in anothertracking area or in another location area according to 3GPP TS 36.304[21]; and

if the Additional EMM cause IE with value “E-UTRA not allowed” isincluded in the ATTACH REJECT message, then the UE shall disable theE-UTRA capability as specified in subclause 4.5 and search for asuitable cell in another location area in the same PLMN according to3GPP TS 36.304 [21].

NOTE: The use and correct setting of the Additional EMM cause IE in anetwork is an operator option. If this IE is set to “E-UTRA notallowed”, the ability of the UE to reselect to an E-UTRA cell of anequivalent PLMN will be impacted.

As an additional possible change, 24.301 §5.5.1.3.5 may be updated toinclude the following information:

#15 (No Suitable Cells in Tracking Area);

The UE shall set the EPS update status to EU3 ROAMING NOT ALLOWED (andshall store it according to subclause 5.1.3.3) and shall delete anyGUTI, last visited registered TAI and eKSI. Additionally the UE shallreset the attach attempt counter and enter the stateEMM-DEREGISTERED.LIMITED-SERVICE.

The UE shall update the list of “forbidden tracking areas for roaming”as specified in subclause 5.3.2.

If the Additional EMM cause IE is not included in the ATTACH REJECTmessage or if this IE is included with any other value than “E-UTRA notallowed”, then the UE shall search for a suitable cell in anothertracking area or in another location area according to 3GPP TS 36.304[21].

If the Additional EMM cause IE with value “E-UTRA not allowed” isincluded in the ATTACH REJECT message, then the UE shall disable theE-UTRA capability as specified in subclause 4.5 and search for asuitable cell in another location area in the same PLMN according to3GPP TS 36.304 [21].

NOTE: The use and correct setting of the Additional EMM cause IE in anetwork is an operator option. If this IE is set to “E-UTRA notallowed”, the ability of the UE to reselect to an E-UTRA cell of anequivalent PLMN will be impacted.

As an additional possible change, 24.301 §5.5.3.2.5 may be updated toinclude the following information:

#15 (No Suitable Cells in Tracking Area);

The UE shall set the EPS update status to EU3 ROAMING NOT ALLOWED (andshall store it according to subclause 5.1.3.3). The UE shall reset thetracking area updating attempt counter and shall enter the stateEMM-REGISTERED.LIMITED-SERVICE.

The UE shall update the list of “forbidden tracking areas for roaming”as specified in subclause 5.3.2 and shall remove the current TAI fromthe stored TAI list if present.

If the Additional EMM cause IE is not included in the TRACKING AREAUPDATE REJECT message or if this IE is included with any other valuethan “E-UTRA not allowed”, then the UE shall search for a suitable cellin another tracking area or in another location area according to 3GPPTS 36.304 [21].

If the Additional EMM cause IE with value “E-UTRA not allowed” isincluded in the TRACKING AREA UPDATE REJECT message, then the UE shalldisable the E-UTRA capability as specified in subclause 4.5 and searchfor a suitable cell in another location area in the same PLMN accordingto 3GPP TS 36.304 [21].

NOTE: The use and correct setting of the Additional EMM cause IE in anetwork is an operator option. If this IE is set to “E-UTRA notallowed”, the ability of the UE to reselect to an E-UTRA cell of anequivalent PLMN will be impacted.

As an additional possible change, 24.301 §5.5.3.3.5 may be updated toinclude the following information:

#15 (No Suitable Cells in Tracking Area);

The UE shall set the EPS update status to EU3 ROAMING NOT ALLOWED (andshall store it according to subclause 5.1.3.3). The UE shall reset thetracking area updating attempt counter and shall enter the stateEMM-REGISTERED.LIMITED-SERVICE.

The UE shall update the list of “forbidden tracking areas for roaming”as specified in subclause 5.3.2 and shall remove the current TAI fromthe stored TAI list if present.

If the Additional EMM cause IE is not included in the TRACKING AREAUPDATE REJECT message or if this IE is included with any other valuethan “E-UTRA allowed”, then the UE shall search for a suitable cell inanother tracking area or in another location area according to 3GPP TS36.304 [21].

If the Additional EMM cause IE with value “E-UTRA not allowed” isincluded in the TRACKING AREA UPDATE REJECT message, then the UE shalldisable the E-UTRA capability as specified in subclause 4.5 and searchfor a suitable cell in another location area in the same PLMN accordingto 3GPP TS 36.304 [21].

NOTE: The use and correct setting of the Additional EMM cause IE in anetwork is an operator option. If this IE is set to “E-UTRA notallowed”, the ability of the UE to reselect to an E-UTRA cell of anequivalent PLMN will be impacted.

As an additional possible change, 24.301 §8.2.3.1 may be updated toinclude the following information:

TABLE 1 ATTACH REJECT message content Information IEI ElementType/Reference Presence Format Length Protocol Protocol M V ½discriminator discriminator 9.2 Security Security header M V ½ headertype type 9.3.1 Attach reject Message type M V 1 message identity 9.8EMM cause EMM cause M V 1 9.9.3.9 78 ESM message ESM message O TLV-E 6 −n container container 9.9.3.15 5F T3346 value GPRS timer 2 O TLV 39.9.3.16A 16 T3402 value GPRS timer 2 O TLV 3 9.9.3.16A A- AdditionalAdditional EMM O TV 1 EMM cause cause 9.9.3.x 54 Forbidden Tracking areaO TLV 8-98 TAI list identity list 9.9.3.33

As an additional possible change, additional subheadings under 24.301§8.2.3 (e.g., 8.2.3.x and 8.2.3.y, where ‘x’ and ‘y’ representas-yet-undetermined integer numbers) may be created and may include thefollowing information:

8.2.3.x Additional EMM Cause

The MME may include this IE to indicate additional informationassociated with the EMM cause.

8.2.3.y Forbidden TAI List

If the message includes the Additional EMM cause IE with the value of“List of TAs forbidden in the selected PLMN, E-UTRA allowed”, the MMEshall include this IE to indicate a list of forbidden tracking areas forroaming.

As an additional possible change, 24.301 §8.2.28.1 may be updated toinclude the following information:

TABLE 2 Information IEI Element Type/Reference Presence Format LengthProtocol Protocol M V ½ discriminator discriminator 9.2 SecuritySecurity header M V ½ header type type 9.3.1 Tracking area Message typeM V 1 update reject 9.8 message identity EMM cause EMM cause M V 19.9.3.9 5F T3346 value GPRS timer 2 O TLV 3 9.9.3.16A A- AdditionalAdditional EMM O TV 1 EMM cause cause 9.9.3.x 54 Forbidden Tracking areaO TLV 8-98 TAI list identity list 9.9.3.33

As an additional possible change, additional subheadings under 24.301§8.2.28 (e.g., 8.2.28.x and 8.2.28.y, where ‘x’ and ‘y’ representas-yet-undetermined integer numbers) may be created and may include thefollowing information:

8.2.28.x Additional EMM Cause

The MME may include this IE to indicate additional informationassociated with the EMM cause.

8.2.28.y Forbidden TAI List

If the message includes the Additional EMM cause IE with the value of“List of TAs forbidden in the selected PLMN, E-UTRA allowed”, the MMEshall include this IE to indicate a list of forbidden tracking areas forroaming.

As an additional possible change, an additional subheading under 24.301§9.9.3 (e.g., 9.9.3.x, where ‘x’ represents an as-yet-undeterminedinteger number) may be created and may include the followinginformation:

9.9.3.x Additional EMM Cause

The purpose of the Additional EMM cause information element is tospecify additional information associated with the EMM cause.

The Additional EMM cause information element is coded as shown in FIG.12 and Table 3.

TABLE 3 Additional EMM cause information element Additional EMM cause(octet 1) Bits 2 1 0 0 Current TA forbidden in the selected PLMN, E-UTRAallowed 0 1 List of TAs forbidden in the selected PLMN, E-UTRA allowed 10 E-UTRAN not allowed 1 1 reserved Bits 3 and 4 of octet 1 are spare andshall be coded as zero.

In the following further exemplary embodiments of the disclosure arepresented.

As a first example, a method may comprise: receiving, at a mobilitymanagement entity (MME) of a first public land mobile network (PLMN), anLTE attach request, combined attach request, tracking area updaterequest, or combined tracking area request from a wireless userequipment (UE) device by way of a cellular base station (BS); obtainingidentification and/or authentication information for the UE;determining, based on the identification and/or authenticationinformation, to reject the request; sending a rejection response to therequest, wherein the rejection response comprises information comprisingone or more of: an indication of a plurality of forbidden LTE trackingareas (TAs) of the first PLMN; or an indication that LTE access to thefirst PLMN is forbidden to the UE.

A further example may include the method described above, whereinobtaining the identification and/or authentication information for theUE comprises consulting a home subscriber server (HSS) for the UE,wherein determining to reject the request comprises determining that theUE does not have evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA)permission to the PLMN.

A still further example may include a method according to any of theabove examples, wherein the rejection response comprises an additionalEMM cause information element comprising an additional EMM cause field,of which: a first value is defined as specifying that evolved universalterrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) to a current TA of the first PLMN isforbidden to the UE, but E-UTRA is not generally forbidden to the UE, asecond value is defined as specifying that E-UTRA to a plurality of TAsof the first PLMN is forbidden to the UE, but E-UTRA is not generallyforbidden to the UE, and a third value is defined as specifying thatE-UTRA is generally forbidden to the UE.

Yet another example may include the method described just above, whereinif the additional EMM cause field is set to the second value, therejection response further comprises a forbidden TA identifier (TAI)list information element comprising a list of TAIs of the plurality ofTAs of the first PLMN to which E-UTRA is forbidden to the UE

Another set of exemplary embodiments may include a mobility managemententity (MME), comprising: one or more network ports configured tocommunicate with one or more cellular network elements and/or otherdevices; and an processing element operably coupled to the one or morenetwork ports; wherein the MME is configured to implement any of theexample methods described above.

As another example, a method for operating a wireless user equipment(UE) device may comprise: sending, to a mobility management entity (MME)of a first public land mobile network (PLMN), an LTE attach request,combined attach request, tracking area update request, or combinedtracking area request by way of a cellular base station (BS); receivinga rejection response to the request, wherein the rejection responsecomprises information comprising one or more of: an indication of aplurality of forbidden LTE tracking areas (TAs) of the first PLMN; or anindication that LTE access to the first PLMN is forbidden to the UE.

A further example may include the above-described exemplary method,wherein the rejection response comprises an additional EMM causeinformation element comprising an additional EMM cause field, of which:a first value is defined as specifying that evolved universalterrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) to a current TA of the first PLMN isforbidden to the UE, but E-UTRA is not generally forbidden to the UE, asecond value is defined as specifying that E-UTRA to a plurality of TAsof the first PLMN is forbidden to the UE, but E-UTRA is not generallyforbidden to the UE, and a third value is defined as specifying thatE-UTRA is generally forbidden to the UE.

A still further example may include the above-described exemplarymethod, wherein if the additional EMM cause field is set to the secondvalue, the rejection response further comprises a forbidden TAidentifier (TAI) list information element comprising a list of TAIs ofthe plurality of TAs of the first PLMN to which E-UTRA is forbidden tothe UE.

Yet another example may include a wireless user equipment (UE) device,comprising: one or more radios, coupled to one or more antennasconfigured for wireless communication; and an processing elementoperably coupled to the one or more radios; wherein the UE is configuredto implement any of the methods of the preceding examples.

Still another example may include a non-transitory computer accessiblememory medium comprising program instructions which, when executed at adevice, cause the device to implement any of the methods of thepreceding examples.

An additional example may include a computer program comprisinginstructions for performing any of the methods of the precedingexamples.

A further additional example may include an apparatus comprising meansfor performing any of the method elements of any of the precedingexamples.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be realized in any of variousforms. For example some embodiments may be realized as acomputer-implemented method, a computer-readable memory medium, or acomputer system. Other embodiments may be realized using one or morecustom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Still other embodimentsmay be realized using one or more programmable hardware elements such asFPGAs.

In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable memory mediummay be configured so that it stores program instructions and/or data,where the program instructions, if executed by a computer system, causethe computer system to perform a method, e.g., any of a methodembodiments described herein, or, any combination of the methodembodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the methodembodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets.

In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE 106) may be configured toinclude a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, wherethe memory medium stores program instructions, where the processor isconfigured to read and execute the program instructions from the memorymedium, where the program instructions are executable to implement anyof the various method embodiments described herein (or, any combinationof the method embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of themethod embodiments described herein, or, any combination of suchsubsets). The device may be realized in any of various forms.

Although the embodiments above have been described in considerabledetail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent tothose skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated.It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace allsuch variations and modifications.

What is claimed is:
 1. A user equipment (UE) device, comprising:wireless communication circuitry; a memory medium; and one or moreprocessing elements coupled to the wireless communication circuitry andthe memory medium, wherein the one or more processing elements areconfigured to execute program instructions stored on the memory mediumto: send, to a mobility management entity (MME) of a first public landmobile network (PLMN), one of an attach request, combined attachrequest, tracking area update request, or combined tracking area requestby way of a cellular base station (BS) of an E-UTRAN (Evolved UniversalTerrestrial Access Network); receive a rejection response to the requestincluding both an evolved packet service mobility management (EMM) cause#15 specifying “no suitable cells in tracking area” and an extended EMMcause information element (IE) with value “E-UTRAN not allowed”; and inresponse to the receiving the rejection response: when a configurationparameter of the UE allowing disabling of E-UTRA for EMM cause #15 isenabled, disable E-UTRA capability, memorize an identity of the firstPLMN where E-UTRA capability was disabled, and search for a suitablecell; when the configuration parameter of the UE allowing disabling ofE-UTRA capability for EMM cause #15 is disabled, disregard the extendedcause IE “E-UTRAN not allowed” for EMM cause #15 leaving E-UTRAcapability enabled and search for a suitable cell.
 2. The UE of claim 1,wherein the identity of the PLMN where E-UTRA capability was disabled isused in subsequent PLMN selections.
 3. The UE of claim 1, wherein therejection response is one of a TRACKING AREA UPDATE REJECT or ATTACHREJECT, and wherein to search for a suitable cell the programinstructions are further executable by the one or more processingelements to search for a suitable cell in another tracking area or inanother location area.
 4. The UE of claim 3, wherein the configurationparameter is received from a home PLMN of the UE.
 5. The UE of claim 1,wherein the extended EMM cause IE is a type 1 information element havinga length of one octet.
 6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the extended EMMcause IE indicates that a plurality of E-UTRA tracking areas (TAs) ofthe first PLMN are forbidden to the UE.
 7. The UE of claim 6, whereinthe program instructions are further executable by the one or moreprocessing elements to: store tracking area identifiers (TAIs) for theplurality of E-UTRA TAs of the first PLMN which are forbidden to the UE;determine that the UE has moved to one of the plurality of E-UTRA TAs ofthe first PLMN which are forbidden to the UE; and refrain fromperforming an E-UTRA attach procedure with the first PLMN based ondetermining that the UE has moved to one of the plurality of E-UTRA TAsof the first PLMN which are forbidden to the UE.
 8. An apparatus forconfiguration in a user equipment (UE) device, comprising: one or moreprocessing elements, wherein the one or more processing elements areconfigured to: send, to a mobility management entity (MME) of a firstpublic land mobile network (PLMN), one of an attach request, combinedattach request, tracking area update request, or combined tracking arearequest by way of a cellular base station (BS) of an E-UTRAN (EvolvedUniversal Terrestrial Access Network); receive a rejection response tothe request including both an evolved packet service mobility management(EMM) cause #15 specifying “no suitable cells in tracking area” and anextended EMM cause information element (IE) with value “E-UTRAN notallowed”; and in response to the receiving the rejection response: whena configuration parameter of the UE allowing disabling of E-UTRA for EMMcause #15 is enabled, disable E-UTRA capability, store an identity ofthe first PLMN where E-UTRA capability was disabled, and search for asuitable cell; when the configuration parameter of the UE allowingdisabling of E-UTRA capability for EMM cause #15 is disabled, disregardthe extended cause IE “E-UTRAN not allowed” for EMM cause #15 leavingE-UTRA capability enabled and search for a suitable cell.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein the identity of the PLMN where E-UTRAcapability was disabled is used in subsequent PLMN selections.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein the rejection response is one of aTRACKING AREA UPDATE REJECT or ATTACH REJECT, and wherein to search fora suitable cell the one or more processing elements are configured tosearch for a suitable cell in another tracking area or in anotherlocation area.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the configurationparameter is received from a home PLMN of the UE.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 8, wherein the extended EMM cause IE is a type 1 informationelement having a length of one octet.
 13. The apparatus of claim 8,wherein the extended EMM cause IE indicates that a plurality of E-UTRAtracking areas (TAs) of the first PLMN are forbidden to the UE, andwherein the program instructions are further executable by the one ormore processing elements to: store tracking area identifiers (TAIs) forthe plurality of E-UTRA TAs of the first PLMN which are forbidden to theUE; determine that the UE has moved to one of the plurality of E-UTRATAs of the first PLMN which are forbidden to the UE; and refrain fromperforming an E-UTRA attach procedure with the first PLMN based ondetermining that the UE has moved to one of the plurality of E-UTRA TAsof the first PLMN which are forbidden to the UE.
 14. A mobilitymanagement entity (MME) of a first public land mobile network (PLMN),comprising: one or more network ports; and one or more processingelements operably coupled to the one or more network ports; wherein theone or more processing elements and the one or more network ports areconfigured to: receive, from a user equipment (UE), one of an attachrequest, combined attach request, tracking area update request, orcombined tracking area request by way of a cellular base station (BS) ofan E-UTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Access Network); send arejection response to the request including both an evolved packetservice mobility management (EMM) cause #15 specifying “no suitablecells in tracking area” and an extended EMM cause information element(IE) with value “E-UTRAN not allowed”, and wherein sending the rejectionresponse instructs the UE to: disable E-UTRA capability, memorize theidentity of the first PLMN where E-UTRA capability was disabled, andsearch for a suitable cell, when a configuration parameter of the UEallowing disabling of E-UTRA for EMM cause #15 is enabled; and disregardthe extended cause IE “E-UTRAN not allowed” for EMM cause #15 leavingE-UTRA capability enabled and search for a suitable cell, when theconfiguration parameter of the UE allowing disabling of E-UTRAcapability for EMM cause #15 is disabled.
 15. The MME of claim 14,wherein sending the rejection response further instructs the UE to usethe identity of the PLMN where E-UTRA capability was disabled insubsequent PLMN selections.
 16. The MME of claim 14, wherein therejection response is one of a TRACKING AREA UPDATE REJECT or ATTACHREJECT, and wherein to instruct the UE to search for a suitable cellfurther comprises instruct the UE to search for a suitable cell inanother tracking area or in another location area.
 17. The MME of claim14, wherein the one or more processing elements and the one or morenetwork ports are further configured to: obtain identification and/orauthentication information for the UE; wherein obtaining theidentification and/or authentication information for the UE comprisescommunicating with a home subscriber server (HSS) for the UE.
 18. TheMME of claim 14, wherein the extended EMM cause IE is a type 1information element having a length of one octet.
 19. The MME of claim14, wherein the extended EMM cause IE indicates that a plurality ofE-UTRA tracking areas (TAs) of the first PLMN are forbidden to the UE.20. The MME of claim 14, wherein the extended cause IE comprises a fieldin which: a first value is defined as specifying that access to thefirst PLMN in the area according to the first RAT is forbidden to theUE, but access to the first PLMN according to the first RAT is notgenerally forbidden to the UE, a second value is defined as specifyingthat access to the first PLMN according to the first RAT is forbidden tothe UE in a plurality of areas, but access to the first PLMN accordingto the first RAT is not generally forbidden to the UE, or a third valueis defined as specifying that access to the first PLMN according to thefirst RAT is generally forbidden to the UE.